“Tell us more about yourself, Mr. Perron.”
“What do you want to know?”
John glanced in the rearview, catching the glint of Perron’s golden eyes in the darkness.
“I don’t know. What do you do for a living?”
“Nothing as glamorous as owning a sporting goods shop,” he replied dryly. “I make what money I need through trading.”
“Like muskrat and beaver pelts?” Sherrie asked.
“Like stocks and bonds. We do have satellite Internet connection at the higher elevations. My house is on the next mountain to the north.”
“Oh.” Sherrie paused for a moment before going on. “What about your people? John said you’re scattered about, that you don’t live in a community.”
“What John doesn’t know about panthers would fill an ocean. We do have a community, maybe not tight knit by wolf standards, but we keep in touch. And we’re just as concerned about each other as they are in a crisis like this.”
“You said you had friends affected. Anyone close?”
“Marina.” Perron’s voice was tight, and for the first time John sensed strong emotion instead of cocky attitude. “My… She’s my lover sometimes.”
“How long ago did she fall victim?”
“Last week. I’ve tried to reach her inside her mind, but it’s like a steel door is barring me. That’s when I knew we had to try to find outside help.”
“And you dreamed about Sherrie,” John supplied. “How exactly does that work?”
“My ability to travel while dreaming only developed during the last couple of years. I have no idea what triggered it,” he admitted. “As for prophetic dreams, this is the first time I’ve had one. I saw Sherrie’s face and was led to her, simple as that. Ask your wisewoman how it works. Maybe she’ll have some insight.”
“I’m sorry about your girlfriend.” Sherrie offered a sympathetic smile. “It must be terrifying to see someone you love struck down like that.”
“She’s a strong woman. I believe she can survive this. She came to the U.S. from Russia six years ago. Slavers brought her along with about a dozen other girls. You’ve read the stories about how women are kept prisoner and used as sex slaves. Well, Marina’s kidnappers got more than they bargained for. She bided her time, let them pay for her passage then ripped them apart.” Perron gave a rumbling growl of satisfaction. “After that, she found her way to us. It’s important to bring in fresh genes to the pool, don’t you agree, Walker?” John grunted in reply. Why was it everything the man said to him sounded laced with irony? And why did his skin prickle in a not entirely unpleasant way at the sound of his sarcastic voice? He turned his attention back to driving.
Paved road turned into a rutted trail and soon it was hard to tell there was a path at all. The vehicle hit a rock, sending a jolt through the vehicle that made John’s teeth click together.
“This is as far as we can go,” Perron said. “Pull over and we’ll hike from here.” John’s jaw clenched. He’d been about to do that, but now he didn’t want to since Perron had commanded it. He drove another quarter of a mile before finally steering the Blazer off the track and parking. He rested his hands on the steering wheel and turned to look at Sherrie in the glow of the dashboard lights.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine.” Her answer was short but accompanied by a smile, so he felt a little better.
He wished they could have a minute alone so he could really talk to her. They hadn’t had time to discuss what had happened between them, and John felt sure it had been more than sex. Some energy had bonded them in a way he’d never felt before. Surely, she’d experienced it too. He had to know.
Perron opened the car door and got out. When he’d closed it behind him, John reached for Sherrie’s arm, stopping her from leaving.
“Are you really okay? I mean about the sex.”
She finally looked into his eyes, and hers glowed in the dim light. “Yes. It was amazing and left me feeling… strangely powerful. I can’t explain it, but I’m glad we did it.” She grinned, and her teeth shone like a wolf’s. “As a matter of fact, I’d like to do it again.” Her words allayed his concern that she just wasn’t that into him. He let his hand slide down her arm and took hold of her warm hand. “Me, too. I told you I don’t usually believe in having sex with humans.
Crossing species doesn’t seem like a good idea, but something was different with you. I felt—”
“I should tell you something,” Sherrie interrupted.